The Walliserhof Grand-Hotel & Spa celebrates its reopening in December 2019. This is a glimpse at the storied history of one of Saas-Fee’s iconic establishments. She frantically tightens her bright, chiffon sarong around her hips and adjusts her beach hat. Then she wipes a bead of sweat from her lip, takes a deep breath, and plunges back into the Walliserhof events hall, a tray full of cocktails in one hand. ...
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Winter in Saas-Fee is picture-perfect: sun-kissed and blanketed in snow, it’s magical. The sixth edition of the Christmas market brings out the charm in the village square, with its twinkling lights, vibrant colours, and amazing aromas. The market, which takes place on the third weekend of advent each year, is a very special event. Exhibitors at this crafts market offer lovingly handcrafted products. Sisters Erika Zurbriggen and Bernadette Bolli can ...
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Ski cross athlete Fanny Smith on her life, successes, and how she grew to be a fighter. Or: how to deal with life’s obstacles and find the right mindset. A conversation over a cappuccino. Sunlight bathes the Mischabel Chain in gold as we cross the road. For a split second, she looks up, wistfully almost, at the snow-covered Allalin. She wants to be up there, skis on her feet and ...
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Fritz Hegi has been hiking all over Switzerland for the last 15 years. Over the last six he has become known as WanderFritz, the author of four hiking books. On chatting to him, it is clear that hiking is just one small part of a greater philosophy of life. WanderFritz was born in a soup pot in Bern. Six times a year, journalist and Mr. Glückskette, Roland Jeanneret, invites friends and ...
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He’s unstoppable, unyielding, tempestuous. A professional snowboarder, a musician, and a free spirit. Acknowledging no limits, accepting no norms, no hurdles can slow him down. Pat Burgener has flown to the sun and beyond – and kept his wings intact. Pat Burgener was born in Lausanne in 1994, the middle child of three brothers. Max, Pat, and Marc-Antoine – three sons whose parents expected them to play one sport and one ...
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Every autumn, the world’s leading freeski and snowboard stars paint an ephemeral dance of freedom in the skies above Saas-Fee. The Stomping Grounds founder Charles Beckinsale tells us more. Saas-Fee is a quiet place. Unhurried – idyllic, even. In summer and early autumn, it’s mostly seniors, families and 35 plus-ers strolling through the streets, hiking through the surrounding woods and filling up sun terraces. Then all of a sudden, come early ...
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Hunters and gamekeepers sound like they should be on opposite ends of the spectrum. After all, their occupations serve conflicting purposes. But, actually, they are closely connected. Saas Valley chamois, marmots, eagles, bearded vultures, roe deer, red deer, field and mountain hares, badgers, foxes, grouse, and martens… They all have one thing in common: Helmut Anthamatten, the Saas Valley’s gamekeeper for the last 33 years. His job is to protect ...
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On 14th September, the Mattmark 1965 memorial half-marathon takes place in memory of the glacier collapse of 30th August 1965. 88 people died that day. But the story goes way back. The catastrophe of 1965 is not the only disaster the Allalin Glacier has seen. Its wild and unpredictable nature has repeatedly threatened the existence of the Saas population. The glacier originates on the 4,190-metre-high Strahlhorn, which, along with the ...
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Vivien Labarile, from the Upper Valais, on life as a climber, how to overcome fear, and the role of the psyche when it comes to climbing. Vivien bites her teeth, a fierce expression on her face. She pushes powerfully off one foot, swinging herself upwards – and missing the small hold by mere millimetres. Hanging on the rope, she breathes heavily and pauses for a few minutes to rest her ...
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Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Carl Zuckmayer fled to Switzerland, and eventually ended up visiting Saas-Fee. What was to become his lifelong love for the place struck him like a thunderbolt in 1938. “As you reach village level, you round a corner and all of a sudden come face to face with the mountains. It’s a view like no other. You're standing at the end of the world ...
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